Open-space proposal includes area planned for Monterey Downs

A proposed referendum to preserve 540acres of open space on Fort Ord would include much of the planned Monterey Downs development.

The initiative would not affect land currently identified for the proposed veterans cemetery, which includes the cemetery site, a habitat preservation area and the "endowment parcel," whose sale for development would fund maintenance of the cemetery.

Members of Ford Ord Access Alliance intend to file the initiative with the Monterey County Elections Department Tuesday and begin collecting signatures Wednesday with the hopes of placing it on the November ballot.

Spokesman Jason Campbell said the group needs the endorsements of 10percent of the county's registered voters, about 16,700, but is shooting for 20,000 signatures. It has 180 days to qualify the measure for the ballot.

"On the Whispering Oaks referendum, we had 18,000 signatures in 20 days," Campbell said, referring to the successful effort to staunch plans for a business park and transit center on oak woodlands at Intergarrison Road and Eighth Street. "We can do it."

Campbell, who lost a 2012 bid for Seaside City Council by 24 votes, said the purpose of the initiative is to protect established recreational access points, preserve land originally designated for open space in the Fort Ord Base Reuse Plan and establish the "BLM to Beach" corridor on Fort Ord.

Whispering Oaks is one of four areas targeted by the proposed referendum. Also included are 50acres that the base reuse plan referred to as the Seaside Community Park south of the Department of Defense building at Gigling Road and Seventh Avenue; 70acres identified as the Marina Community Park on Intergarrison Road; and about 370acres of the "Eucalyptus Road Planning Area" near Gigling and Eighth.

With the exception of the endowment parcel, the latter area entails all of the acreage planned for development in the proposed Monterey Downs Project, including housing, a thoroughbred race track, sports arena, two hotels and a "Country Walk" retail area.

With the exception of the Seaside Community Park, all of the identified land lies in unincorporated Monterey County.

Fort Ord Reuse Authority Counsel Jon Giffen said he had not yet seen the initiative or thoroughly researched its potential impact on FORA. Giffen said FORA does not have land-use authority and questioned whether it could be bound by county initiative.

Campbell said "legal minds" have studied FORA's enabling legislation and concluded that FORA is bound by countywide initiative under special district law.

The Fort Ord Reuse Authority Act establishes "the authority is a district for purposes of initiative and referendum under (the California Elections Code) and the voters of the authority are the voters of Monterey County."

The initiative would maintain or modify the base reuse plan to preserve the identified areas in open space. While FORA does not have land-use authority, any development on Fort Ord lands requires a finding by the FORA board that the land use is consistent with the base reuse plan.